randuwa

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ February 12th to 18th!

2012-02-11T16:58:00.002-05:00

Saturday Funny

2012-02-11T16:56:00.000-05:00

More Amazing Lego Art

2012-02-08T22:51:00.003-05:00

By Nathan Sawaya--a personal idol.

Today's Sermon

2012-02-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

This Kind of Thing Doesn't Happen Often and When it Does You Should Pay Attention

i thank heaven somebody's crazy
enough to send me a daisy
—E.E. Cummings

On Piedmont Road, going north,
before my car there floated forth

a soapy bubble in the traffic,
glistening and holographic.

It drifted down into my path,
this ghostly sphere from someone's bath.

I watched it bob and almost tickle
A Harley-Davidson motorcycle

then rise (as it got quite exhausted)
That's where I left it, fair and frosted.

For this unexpected act
I thank heaven (I think), in fact,

that someone went to all the trouble
to blow me a bubble.

~ John Stone, 1936 - 2008

My New Basement Floor in 5 Views

2012-02-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ February 5th to 11th!

2012-02-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

Random Quote 142

2012-02-04T12:34:00.001-05:00

"Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don't tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all His children. Don't preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell or preach or teach, as I am in how you choose to live and give."

~ Cory Booker, 1969 -

Earth Postage Stamps--Peacemaker Series #'s 35 through 37

2012-02-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

The next three honorees in my 100 Earth Peacemakers.

Do The Math!

2012-01-31T21:04:00.002-05:00

Word!

2012-01-31T21:01:00.003-05:00

My new Basement Floor

2012-01-31T21:01:00.000-05:00

Like a white lava flow slowly marches on!

What I'm Watching #289

2012-01-29T19:14:00.001-05:00

Just watched the film version of Li Cunxin's autobiography, "Mao's Last Dancer." It's a lovely film, not a terribly good film.

But it's an amazing story, a story that overtakes the faults in the film to leave you amazed and enchanted by his life. It makes Cinderella look pedestrian.

Random Quote 141

2012-01-29T18:50:00.000-05:00

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

~ Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948

My First (And Only) Birthday Party

2012-01-29T00:19:00.002-05:00

I was in elementary school, maybe 3rd grade. And the really interesting thing is how I can still remember the names of the kids in this picture on my 51st Birthday!

In a rambling left to right order: Julie Somerville and Diane Wren (holding green balloon), Peter Keim, Karen Standhart, Kenny Robideau (shortest kid in the room, held up by others), Randy Taylor (peace sign blue shirt), Kent Miller (glasses), my little sister, Michael McCleery (yellow shirt/no face), Lori Kabosky (front right), the girl behind her's name is a blank, but I remember where she lived), and ME! Half a face behind her.

The venue was the basement of the home I grew up in, the home were both of my parents died. My father in 1986 and then my mother in 1992. The year of the photograph was c. 1969.

Today's Sermon

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

I Am What I Am

I am what I am,
I am my own special creation
So come take a look,
give me the hook or the ovation
It's my world that I want
to have a little pride in
My world and it's not a place
I have to hide in
Life's not worth a damn 'til you can say,
hey world
I am what I am

I am what I am,
I don't want praise I don't want pity
I bang my own drum,
some think it's noise I think it's pretty
And so what if I love each feather
and each spangle
Why not try to see things
from a different angle
Your life is a sham 'til you can shout
out loud
I am what I am

I am what I am
and what I am needs no excuses
I deal my own deck
sometimes the ace, sometimes the deuces
There's one life
and there's no return and no deposit
One life
so it's time to open up your closet
Life's not worth a damn 'til you can say,
hey world
I am what I am

~ Jerry Herman, 1931 -

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ January 29th to 4th!

2012-01-28T23:23:00.000-05:00

Pre-Birthday Celebration!

2012-01-28T23:16:00.002-05:00

At the time of my 50th birthday, my dear friend Perri took me to the Kennedy Center to see the Broadway touring company production of "South Pacific." It was marvelous!

Today, for my 51st birthday, we again rendezvoused at the Kennedy Center here in DC for the Broadway touring company production of "La Cage Aux Folles". Everyone deserves such a wonderful friend, n'est pas?

Unlike "South Pacific" I knew virtually nothing about the musical version of La Cage. Sometimes that's the best way to experience something, sans espérance.

The leads were in the hands of George Hamilton and Christopher Seiber. I was a little surprised to learn that George was still alive!--truth in blogging--and I'd never heard of Monsieur Sieber before. The result? George was très charming, managed to hit all of his cues and was actually quite funny at times. I also thought that at times during the second act he was 'tired' in moments when he wasn't doing anything specific in a scene. But Christopher Seiber was dynamite! He rose to and above the occasion without any hint of anything but tenderness toward the older Hamilton. In a word, He was Fabulous! and the chemistry between he and George was very sweet.

The production was held in the Eisenhower Theater which was just perfect. It's a more intimate setting and the production was from the onset very audience interactive. Our seats were in row five from the stage smack dab in the middle. Any closer and I would have strained my neck.

Can my 52nd birthday be better? Peut-être!?

Poster Children For The All American Couple!

2012-01-27T22:45:00.000-05:00

A True Horror Story

2012-01-27T22:34:00.002-05:00

Rudi van Dantzig -- RIP

2012-01-27T22:32:00.003-05:00

The Dutch dancer and choreography, Rudi van Dantzig died on January 19th. I wonder how many of my friends would even know who he was. I know him from his semi-autobiographical film, "Voor een Verloren Soldaat" (For A Lost Soldier). It told the story of his experiences with a Canadian airman who was downed in the Netherlands during World War II and kept incognito by Dantzig's community. A classic war story of courage and unity in the face of unspeakable evil with one twist: The soldier and he (an adolescent boy) shared intimate relations. Filmed in 1992, "For A Lost Soldier" remains a controversial film and properly so. Yet, to experience it is to fully understand the complexity of the situation. His need to share his story, no matter what you might think of it, was an act of profound courage.

Remodeling Project: Basement Lego Heaven!

2012-01-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

I have just begun recovering my basement floor. I did the other side of the basement back in 2003. It's held up beautifully, and it was simple to do. On the other side I also had to finish the walls. The walls on this side are vintage pine panelling.

I am also having recess lighting installed and the ceiling drywall replaced. The changes are long overdue. It's time I had a proper Lego Room!!

What I'm Watching #288

2012-01-26T20:38:00.002-05:00

"Harvest," or in the original German "Stadt Land Fluss," is a interesting little independent film by Benjamin Cantu. It's the story of two young men who meet at an agricultural training farm and discover in each other the thing that they have been waiting for.

It's a simple story told with an acute eye and some amazing cinematography. At times I was imagining an album cover by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós; stark yet exposed.

It's a sweet film.

Random Quote 140

2012-01-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

"My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of indifference that falls between us and that blinds us to each other's presence, each other's wonder, each other's human plight."

~ Eudora Welty, 1909-2001

Happy New Years!

2012-01-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

Presidential Race 2012 - #1

2012-01-24T10:16:00.000-05:00

Tuesday Funny

2012-01-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

What I'm Watching #287

2012-01-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

The Help is an Oscar contender on many levels and as usual, I'm late to the dance.

I enjoyed this film for its' acting and myriad of cameos. In an oscar competition I wouldn't know who to give the award to. Everyone was more than adequate, but the whole story seems so "wishful thinking". Rewarding such racial fantasies seems very un-PC.

So great movie, but not a necessary premise. "Cookie's Fortune" was a better pic in this genre.

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ January 22nd to 28th!

2012-01-21T08:19:00.000-05:00

Funniest Glee Scene EVER!

2012-01-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

VINNIE: Here is your shamwa. Guard it with your life.

FEMALE SWIMMER: Every "guppy" gets one and only one.

VINNIE: You also get a letterman's robe. So you need to think of a nickname to embroider on the back. It should be water themed. I'm "Vinnie the Gill."

SAM: Would "Trouty-Mouth" work?

COACH WASHINGTON: Sam Evans, I'm coach Roz Washington, and you are one strange looking kid. I've never seen lips like that on a white child, and one of your nipples is higher than the other. I bet you had to overcome a lot with those crooked nipples.

Well, I know a thing or two about over coming. When I was growing up, they said that black folks couldn't swim. But I had a DREAM!--that one day I would get to the promise land. So I swam my way, and got my forty acres and a pool.

VINNIE: Coach Roz was an olympian.

COACH WASHINGTON: That's right. I won this damn bronze olympic medal in Beijing, China in individual synchronized swimming. I bet you didn't even know there was any such thing as individual synchronized swimming?

Nod to me if I'm gettin' through to you. Nod to me.

(Sam nods, while concealing his freakishly uneven nipples behind tightly crossed arms)

COACH WASHINGTON: (stepping into Sam's personal space) I'm gonna say one thing to you, Sam Evans. I'm only gonna say it to you once. IF you PEE in MY pool, I will KEELLL you.

Maryland's Newest Blue Ribbon School!

2012-01-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

RACHEL CARSON ELEMENTARY, Gaithersburg, Maryland, Opened September 1990

(L-R the delegation attending the ceremony and the year we began working at Rachel Carson) Yours truly, Staff Development Teacher (1994); Tami Wisniewski-Dollar, Special Education Resource Teacher (1994); Brenda Bona-Long, Administrative Secretary (1990); Crissi Troilo, Fifth Grade Teacher & Union Representative (1999); Hana Marcus, Kindergarten Teacher & Leadership Team Member (2006), Larry Chep, Principal (2001).

Rachel Carson Elementary School was named a Blue Ribbon School by the Maryland State Department of Education Tuesday. The school will now compete to become the 35th National Blue Ribbon School in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

“Congratulations to the Rachel Carson staff, students and community for this well-deserved honor,” said Board of Education President Shirley Brandman. “Rachel Carson is doing exceptional work to meet the educational needs of all its students and today’s award recognizes that dedicated effort.”

The Gaithersburg school was honored for its outstanding academic performance, as well as its leadership, professional development and instructional programs. MCPS Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr attended Tuesday’s announcement in Baltimore with Rachel Carson principal Lawrence Chep and other school and system staff.

The announcement of the state’s six 2012 Blue Ribbon Schools was made by Interim State Superintendent of Schools Bernard J. Sadusky.

“Rachel Carson is a shining example of excellence that comes from great leadership, professional collaboration and strong community support,” Dr. Starr said. “This is a great day for the Rachel Carson community and for Montgomery County Public Schools.”

As a state winner, Rachel Carson will now compete in the National Blue Ribbon Awards program. The National Blue Ribbon Schools will be announced in September by the U.S. Department of Education. MCPS has had 34 National Blue Ribbon Schools, the most recent being Highland Elementary School in 2009.

As the announcement was being made in Baltimore, Mr. Chep, Rachel Carson’s principal, shared the news of the award with his staff and students through a prerecorded video that was broadcast in every classroom.

“I am so proud of our students and staff and appreciate the unwavering support we receive from our parents and community members,” Mr. Chep said. “Our staff is completely dedicated to providing every student at Rachel Carson with an outstanding education, while making sure they enjoy learning and have fun.”

Random Quote 139

2012-01-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

"Time you enjoy waisting, was not wasted."

~ John Lennon, 1940-1980

Need A Doctor?

2012-01-17T19:23:00.002-05:00

I have a new surgeon!

Threadless Is Awesome

2012-01-16T18:16:00.000-05:00

I love this T-Shirt Company. They sell high quality tee's with amazing artwork. One of my favorites is a green shirt that has a series of stylized Giraffes on it in shades of yellow and then you notice that the same images are also present reversed in pale shades of green--and the best part of all? A friend commented one day that the character Hailey on Modern Family wore "my" giraffe T-Shirt on the previous night's episode! What do you call it when you are thrilled and mortified all at the same time? Anyway, I love Threadless.

What I'm Reading #44

2012-01-16T18:12:00.000-05:00

I am reading a really interesting book by John S. Mbiti "African Religions and Philosophy". I'm finding a wonderful resonance with some aspects as he describes them; even as I see how naive other practices are. A great read full of wonderful ideas.

Another Day....

2012-01-16T16:55:00.002-05:00

...another deer!

What I'm Listening To #104

2012-01-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

Cat Stevens entered my life in High School and his was one of only a dozen albums that I purchased before college. He never fails to take me to a thoughtful, but happy place.

What a gift.

Today's Sermon

2012-01-15T09:57:00.001-05:00

Dream And Poetry

It’s all ordinary experience,
All ordinary images.
By chance they emerge in a dream,
Turning out infinite new patterns.

It’s all ordinary feelings,
All ordinary words.
By chance they encounter a poet,
Turning out infinite new verses.

Once intoxicated, one learns the strength of wine,
Once smitten, one learns the power of love:
You cannot write my poems
Just as I cannot dream your dreams.

~ Hu Shih, 1891-1962
translated from the Chinese by Kai-yu Hsu

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream!

2012-01-14T19:41:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm just spit-balling here, but I think that the ad team that put this one together had at least one proud, gay, ex-Catholic member. Just sayin' And Bravissimo to Antonio Federici for the courage to go here!

The old English script caption reads "We Believe in Salivation" and at the bottom under the image of the ice cream "Ice cream is our religion". It's just all delightful!

Star Wars Obsession-Manifestation #2

2012-01-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Star Wars Obsession-Manifestation #1

2012-01-14T19:32:00.000-05:00

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ January 15th to 21st!

2012-01-14T00:56:00.000-05:00

Great Smokey Mountain Camping Trip 1987 (?)

2012-01-13T22:27:00.002-05:00

Cleaning the basement I found this stack of photos I took while on a camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains with my friend Russ. I was fiddling with the dates and now I think it might have been closer to 1987. It was in March and after driving for 6 hours we arrived well after dark to pitch our tent in a spring snow storm.

Russ was one of my friends whose generosity with me helped me to survive a transition in my life that has consumed too many others.

After establishing our camp in the midst of the cold, wet spring storm, we climbed into the tent. First task inside, we shed our wet apparel, before we entered a single sleeping bag. With skin tingly cold, we embraced one another and fell asleep in the warmth of our entwined bodies. I never discovered exactly what that platonic phileo-intimate night meant to him.

The next morning we awoke without consideration to such details. The following nights we slept in separate sleeping bags after days of strenuous hiking and shared experiences in this wonderful park.

What an amazing moment to rediscover.

What I'm Listening To #103

2012-01-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

Rosa Passos is a Brazilian singer of great renown and talent. Her smooth jazz based vocal style is so sweet that you hardly realize that you are also being seduced by it.

Today's Sermon

2012-01-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

Love Is Not All

Love is not all; it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain,
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink,
And rise and sink, and rise and sink again;
Love cannot fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want, past resolution's power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892 - 1950

Tea Party America

2012-01-08T11:22:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder which American elected Tea Party Republicans to Congress? Now you know.

The KKK Basically Takes Over The Republican Party

2012-01-08T00:29:00.001-05:00

Look at the Republicans debating in New Hampshire tonight. They are all as crazy, damaged, duplicitous, closeted, alcoholic, and deluded as ever. But this time without the black guy or chick. Which Male, White, Homophobic, Economically Elite, Racist will eventually succeed in representing the Republicans? It's a dizzying proposition. And when will everyone else in this country wake up and realize that they don't "get" let alone represent the 51.2% of us who are women or the 12.4% who are Black? Add in the Native Americans, Asian and Hispanic Americans, the GLBT Americans... I mean really, what the hell do they fight for? The White bean soup Americans in the delicatessen of the United States melting pot?

The NEW Boy Scout Merit Badges

2012-01-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

Aren't they just Fabulous!?

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ January 8th to 14th!

2012-01-07T06:54:00.000-05:00

Catch The Rainbow!

2012-01-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

Easy Peasy!

2012-01-06T18:31:00.002-05:00

A follow-up on my recent collision:

The lot where my former truck is being housed isn't too far from where I work, and so rather than mail the title to the insurance adjustor, I decided to drive it over to him with the hope of expediting the process just a little. He was very cordial and after signing my name in the appropriate places on the back, he asked me if I want to go over to the actual lot and give the truck a final look-see. Perhaps I'd overlooked some personal possession?

So I said, "Sure."

As we walked down the hill to where my truck was resting amidst a little "graveyard" of mangled vehicles, he said, "Oh darn. It still has its plates on it. I'll have to mail those to you."

Stepping on up to the imploded front end, I reached out to grab the contorted plastic mount where the license plate was still clinging. With an easy twist, it snapped completely off.

I held it up for the adjustor to see and said, "I don't think that will be necessary."

Taking my lead, he quickly went around to the tailgate and with a quarter pulled from his pocket removed the rear plate, too.

Lions and Tigers and Coyotes, OH MY!

2012-01-05T00:44:00.000-05:00

A couple of years back, I spied a coyote basking in the sun against a hillside along a busy highway (Route 28) on my way home from work. Since then I have seen a prominent coyote den located on an embankment about two miles or so away along another major road (Muddy Branch Hwy). And now it seems that they are stalking my own neighborhood on the cusp of Washington, D.C. with a valid citing tis past week just a block away.

And why not? The night around here is a very busy place. There are mice, rats, opossums, raccoons, and in the day, deer, fox, squirrels, and ground hogs. Even though I live in the middle of approximately 2 million other people, the presence/prevalence of trees and parks and streams has led to a flourishing of wildlife. Without the killing that used to accompany humans in the forms of hunting for survival and then hunting for sport, the wildlife around here is practically domesticated. Except for the mess they make of gardens and trash cans, they are also mostly ignored.

Recently the Department of the Interior reintroduced Elk to western Maryland's Appalachian Mountains. So how many years before they are also eating my tulips!?

Half A Life Ago!

2012-01-04T23:37:00.001-05:00

Began the process of gutting half of my basement--it was supposed to be the project that I had planned to do for the entire break, but plans get changed sometimes. Anyways, in the process I came across this picture of me taken in Jessamine Creek Gorge Kentucky in the spring of 1985 or 86, I would have been around 24/25--half a life ago... What a good life so far, too!

This rock was the #1 clandestine location for students from my Kentucky College (Asbury) in the mid 70's thru the early 90's. It was officially off-limits after a student and member of the school's famed gymnastics team fell from it to miraculously survive as a paraplegic (an event that occurred prior to my enrollment, and was the stuff of legend by the time I arrived).

To get there you had to trespass through a series of fields and a sloping wooded area (on one occasion--not this one--I was actually fired upon by the owner of the land! The friend, Ruth, who was with me on that visit and I ended up hiking out the VERY long way back to my truck. What was meant to be a couple of hours of hiking turned into nearly 6+ hours of some serious exercise--oh to be young and foolish again!). Yet the risks seemed so worth the awesome beauty of the place at the time. It's all just so amazing--like I said, a good life, so far!

Rape Ain't Right

2012-01-04T22:22:00.002-05:00

2011 In Blogs Added To History

2012-01-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

I love data and so here's a representation of my activity on this blog since it's inception in June of 2005. Each "shelf" contains 12 "books" representing the 12 months of the year. The taller the book the more blog posts.

I am so imagining an open ended math problem around this graphic to use with my staff this year to illustrate the new 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice in the Common Core State Standards and to challenge their thinking regarding the implementation of these standards in their lesson design.

Today's Sermon

2012-01-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

I Dwell In Possibility

I dwell in Possibility –
A fairer House than Prose –
More numerous of Windows –
Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –
Impregnable of eye –
And for an everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –
For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –

~ Emily Dickenson, 1830 - 1886

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ January 1st to 7th!

2012-01-01T12:58:00.002-05:00

Welcome to 2012!

2011-12-31T21:48:00.001-05:00

May 2012 be everything good that 2011 was and more besides! Cheers!

Belief 101

2011-12-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

I did happen to overhear the following conversation during my visit to The Phillips Collection, and I thought it rife with spiritual ambiguity.

"Oh, no, that's Daniella. She's the tall one. Poor Emily's so short for her age. We all have our fingers cross that Someone upstairs will change that this year. I mean, it ought to be her turn after all. But, whatever, she has such a good attitude about it."

Where would one begin to unpack all that is present in this innocent reflection? What the hell does she believe in? Luck? God? Karma? Fate? Dame Fortuna? All of the above?!

I loved it.

Degas @ The Phillips Collection

2011-12-31T21:26:00.003-05:00

One of the truly intimate and wonderful Art Museums in this country is The Phillips Collection here in Washington, D.C. It had been awhile since I'd visited and all the buzz was on their current feature exhibition: "Degas's Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint." So after leaving my doctor's office on Friday morning, I drove over to see it for myself.

Overall, to be honest, I found the exhibit disappointing. Full discloser, I'm not a rabid Degas fan to begin with, but the works here were not anything to write home about. Honestly. They had to include a room of works by his contemporaries just to fill out the gallery space, as well as, reproductions of photographs, even an area with floor to ceiling mirrors and bars against which little girls made photo ops for their doting parents cell phones. Kitschy but not art. Better works on the subject can be seen a short distance away at the National Gallery of Art--for free.

I did find this drawing interesting. The form and the use of color to define ideas within the composition was lovely.

So there I am, 15 minutes into my visit, and over with this exhibition--and $12.00 poorer for it. So I think, "What the hell. Mights as well see the rest of the old girl for the umpteenth time. Can't hurt." And so off I go into the original Philips mansion exploring.

Best call I've made in a museum in years!

My first amazing discovery was a collection of paintings by Georges Rouault (1871-1958) on the theme of the circus. In college my sexually repressed and oozing art history teacher loved Rouault, and so I have always been repulsed by him out of solidarity for the way I felt about Mr. Knippers. Yet, I was helpless to deny the simple beauty and charm of these paintings. There were probably a dozen or so lining the walls of this room.

The original purpose of the museum was the home of the Phillips. The old sections of the museum clearly reflect their original design functions. You experience art in parlors, alcoves, rooms once used as bedrooms--many still sporting vintage fireplaces, but the most magnificent of the original spaces is the "music room."

The space hosts near weekly concerts of classical, jazz and/or acoustical performances. It also makes an excellent gallery space for larger works. The Phillips Collection's only large El Greco can usually be seen there for example.

Presently, however, it's home to a collection of grand paintings by Augustus Vincent Tack (1870-1949). Not since I was in the Rothko gallery at the Tate Modern Museum in London have I felt to mystified by a collection of paintings in a specific venue coming together to create something holy. And while the Tate experience accentuated the austere in spirituality, this exhibition foments what is rich, grand and ascendant in the pursuit of perfection.

My final discovery came as almost an after thought as I made my way to the gift shop (where I ended up only browsing, but finding nothing worth buying).

Located in a pass-through space between the new stairwell and elevator in the renovated wing and the first floor entry gallery were four beautiful paintings by contemporary Brazilian artist, Jorge Pardo (1963 - ). I'm sure you'll agree, they deserve a better display area. But if they had been someplace else, I might never have been captured by their beauty!

What I'm Watching #282-286

2011-12-31T20:34:00.000-05:00

Tonight I watched a collection of 5 short films. I'm sure I've said it before, but it's worth repeating, I LOVE short film as a genre! I really do. The same way I love the short story, or a well crafted poem. To capture an idea, to share a moment, to frame an epiphany or make a statement in any short form is art as amazing to me as any epic novel or opera or symphony.

This collection assembled by Alluvial contains an entry from South Korea, Australia, Spain, the US, and France. Hands down the tightest is "The Postcard" from South Korea. Nothing benefits a short film like attention to detail.

The dog of the batch is Spanish entry "Sístole/Diástole" which really hangs it's hat on a tired cliché threaded through a melodramatic and senseless plot. Watching it, I felt embarrassed for the everyone involved.

The others are fine and altogether worth watching.

Random Quote 138

2011-12-31T20:22:00.001-05:00

"Solitude is the richness of self...loneliness is the poverty."

~ May Sarton, 1912 - 1995

Phase One: Done!

2011-12-31T20:17:00.001-05:00

After days of turning 20 years of collected fabric scraps and remnants from various projects and dozens of quilts into my best estimate of about 30,000 1.25" x 1.25" squares, the first part of my latest scheming is complete. I now have the start of a palette!

Next is to start playing around with its range and nuances with the present goal of creating a pixelated image. Lord, lord, where does this madness come from!

Fabric Fun!

2011-12-30T19:41:00.001-05:00

What I'm Watching #281

2011-12-30T19:35:00.000-05:00

Just watched this Brazilian film "Do Começo ao Fim" which tackles the subject of same sex incest. Or more accurately bumps into it. Well acted, yet without much of a story or even really a message.

Two brothers fall in love as children and never stop being in love. Okay. Whatever. Good eye candy.

What I'm Watching #280

2011-12-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

"Sagwan" is a Filipino movie, probably the 5th or 6th one I've seen. They all have a flaming gay character in them--which makes me wonder just what an iconic role flamboyant gay men play in Filipino culture in general. Or perhaps, why I only seem interested in movies from the Philippines that have this stock character as part of the cast!

The larger story is that of 18 year old Alfred who is a virgin and confused and haunted by a dream/memory that centers, like all things in this little village do, around the beautiful Tatalon River. It is simply written, melodramatic and mostly a vehicle for a final scene that is an extended ménage à trois in which Alfred tastes both the love of his long suffering mute girlfriend, Cecilia, and his boyhood best friend, Eman. The latter having only just that same day introduced him to the village's main economic activity, male prostitution.

Plenty of eye candy, but not much else.

LEGO meets F. L. Wright -- Sweet!

2011-12-29T16:52:00.000-05:00

Tattoo Dreaming Again

2011-12-28T18:56:00.000-05:00

Christmas Help

2011-12-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking I might need some help taking down the Holiday decorations... Hmmm...

More Gifts?!

2011-12-28T05:53:00.007-05:00

What? Another unexpected gift! This time "The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1" by hitRECord and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I've followed this project for months and there is no way that my friend could have know this. It's just a real gift that he knows me so well.

Tiny stories, indeed!

Another Gift!

2011-12-27T19:27:00.000-05:00

Another great gift arrived out of the blue, this one all the way from Wuxi, China! I am a great fan of giving gifts. While I try not to ignore my friends, I especially enjoy sending off things to people who don't expect anything from me. Also friends for the most part, but not inner circle friends.

So the great joy of this Christmas is that I have just received this wonderful gift, as well as, another one, from two friends who are dear to me, but neither of whom I sent anything tangible to this year. I would love to think that there is an economy of generosity in the Universe such that the more we give, the more giving will occur and on some unfathomable chain of consequences our giving will come back to us in kind. Call that my religion!

Soup & Cold Rain

2011-12-27T19:11:00.000-05:00

Hard to imagine what goes together better than a cold wintery rainy day and a pot of hot simmering homemade soup!

Sometimes the best soup just happens like the arrival of an unexpected guest. This one was a tossing together of stuff--the result of raiding the pantry and fridge.

I start with a broth made from chicken bouillons. Next I tossed in the following ingredients in this order:

1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, pealed and sliced
1/2 a Red Pepper, diced (found in fridge)
2 pre-cooked Ham steaks, cubed
Fresh ground black pepper
3 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced into disks
2 large Zucchini, cubed
1 generous dollop of Olive Oil, (1 tablespoon)
2 large Jalapeño's, diced
1/2 head of Taiwanese Cabbage, chopped into 1" squares
2 cans of dices tomatoes cooked with Garlic, Basil and Oregano
Kosher salt to taste.

One Man's Trash...

2011-12-26T20:48:00.002-05:00

...is another's waste basket art!

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

2011-12-25T10:12:00.002-05:00

CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Ingredients

1 pound broccoli florets
1 box cheddar and garlic flavored croutons
1 pound breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium shallot, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
7 large eggs
2 1/2 cups organic half & half
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
coarsely ground black pepper to taste

NOTE: half & half and water can be substituted with 4 cups of milk

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole, or a 9" x 13" pan. Blanch the broccoli florets by boiling briefly, for about 2 minutes. Remove from the water and set aside to cool.

2. Combine together the croutons, cooked sausage, broccoli, red pepper, shallot and cheddar cheese mixing thoroughly. Spread out into casserole or baking dish.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, water, salt, mustard, nutmeg and pepper. Pour slowly over the other ingredients, pushing the bread down into the liquid. Make sure that all of the croutons are making enough contact with the liquid to absorb it over time. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. When you're ready to bake, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 80-90 minutes. The casserole will be done when the top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to stand and cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

This recipe was inspired by one found on the King Arthur Flour website.

Bon Appetit!

It's A White Christmas After All!

2011-12-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

I awoke with a twinge of sadness. Lifting the blinds, all I can see is a cold dormant world painted with the browns and grays of naked trees and decaying leaves. No snow....

But wait! Opening my first present and, Oh Happy Day! A snowflake! Now, there's a Christmas miracle.

Immediately I placed it in the window next to my desk, and low, what's this? Mr. Cardinal arrives as if on cue to give his once over to this latest inhabitant of my window.

I am pleased to report that he is as delighted by such a perfect and unexpected gift as I!

Merry Christmas to All!

2011-12-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

To those who celebrate the birth of Christ;

To those enjoy the shopping, decorating, and eating;

And to those who just get time off to enjoy life!

What I'm Watching #279

2011-12-24T20:51:00.003-05:00

"Pedro" is the story of Pedro Zamora, the young AIDs activist who's short life met both it's zenith and its conclusion with the second season of MTV's "Real World: San Francisco". Written by Dustin Lance Black, who also gave us "Milk" and "Hoover." He cut his screenwriter's teeth on this well crafted story of the life of one of the most important AIDs activists in my lifetime.

The acting is more than adequate. If I had one disappointment it would be with the make-up. The depiction of Pedro at the end was way too hale. We've all seen "Silverlake Life: The View From Here," right? And though, Pedro didn't experience wasting syndrome, he certainly must have looked haggard and worn at the end. To keep that from his bio-pic is to deny the reality of his death in the very apex of expressing it's tragedy.

Still, a real weeper. Kleenex required.

Pedro with his family near the end of his life.

What I'm Watching #278

2011-12-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

I should warn that I have amassed a pile of movies to watch, so many more are likely to come in the next few days.

"Go Go Reject" is a delightful little short film that rests on the sincerity of the main character. Actor Heath Daniels pulls it of with just the right amount of kitsch. Bravo! Short films deserve short reviews!

Great Postcards From Great Friends

2011-12-24T20:28:00.002-05:00

When you can't travel, it's a great joy to have friends who can!

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

2011-12-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

THis amazing card arrived today from my friend Lindy who's teaching in Wuxi, China. It comes with both Christmas and New Year's cheer!

Pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ December 25th to 31st!

2011-12-24T01:11:00.000-05:00

Christmas Classic

2011-12-24T00:58:00.000-05:00

From the holiday card of a dear friend!

Santa Has Arrived Early!

2011-12-24T00:13:00.002-05:00

HO HO HO!

22 DEC 2011

2011-12-23T04:54:00.001-05:00

My 2011 Christmas Memory!

I was headed north on Rte 28 along a little stretch of about a mile between two stoplights. It was clear, just shy of 8 AM. The road is four lanes, two south bound and two north, undivided. On my left there is a neighborhood with an entrance about halfway between the two lights. The right is divided between an area of just demolished homes awaiting a new cluster of condos and an extended set of medical offices built around an extension of "Children's Hospital". A CVS pharmacy anchors the farthest end.

I'd just left the light and crested a hill approaching the entrance to the medical offices. I was the only vehicle in the northbound lanes while a handful of cars were heading toward me on my left in the southbound lanes. I noticed the black sports car come to the entrance of the subdivision casually at first. He came to a rolling stop and then started inching out. I thought, that's odd, and then suddenly he launched through a gap that only he could perceive in the oncoming southbound traffic.

Now here's where things slowed down/sped up, a gazillion jumbled thoughts all blasting into the ecstatic creases of my mind. Is he planning on merging next to me heading north? This isn't happening! He's going straight across to the offices! Oh my God, what's he doing? What's he doing! What's he doing!?!!

Within the space of an eternal second his car was directly in front of me. The last thing I saw before impact was his face sharply turned in my direction, extreme with shock and horror, the penny on the tracks in the grasp of the force of the northbound Acela Commuter Express about to be flattened.

My airbag deployed. And though I held onto the steering wheel, it clearing moved with a force not in my control. I felt the bounce of the curb and then a swift bone-rattling dropping to a walloping jolt as the downward pointing end of my truck slammed into the top of a concrete battlement framing a storm water culvert which launched it still forward with an abruptly altered momentum over a bed of large stones and then halfway up the inner side of the wide storm run. Full stop.

Take a breath. Listen. Airbag. Windshield cracked. Leg hurts. Wrists work. Ankles work. Door won't open. Take a breath. Did I just kill a man?

Seatbelt needs to be unbuckled first, try the door again. Lock broken. Okay. Try handle again and push. Door snaps open part way, enough room, and I get out. A man is running down the embankment. He has a cell phone.

"I'm Stanton," He says, "I'm a doctor. Are you okay?"

My leg is throbbing, but I can stand on it with no acute pain. I don't see any blood stain on my pants. My head is full of pressure--Blood Pressure, I think. I don't know what to say, so I said, "I think so."

He's on the cell phone and saying things about what happened. I hear "Air bags deployed...ambulatory...I'm a doctor...yes, EMS...." There are dsitant sirens, looming sirens, sirens out of nowhere, everywhere. Where am I? What just happened....

I now see a bit of the extent of the damage to my truck, and Stanton takes my arm gently and says that we have to get away from it. Little streams of smoke are rising up from within the crushed engine compartment.

"Can I walk to the top of the embankment? " he asks. I do just that with his help.

At the top, in the parking lot, I see the man I hit. He's lucid and walking and comes over to me and touches my hand with his briefly. I notice how wrinkled his fingers are I look into his eyes, he's so afraid. I almost cry, but I don't. We don't say anything. I want to think that my eyes soften toward him (my heart did), and I don't know what he's thinking, but I am thinking how good it is that he is alive. He limps a short distance away and sits, his right elbow cradled in his left hand. I never see him again.

The Fire truck and EMS ambulance arrive. It's a swarm of activity, everybody is calm and helpful, and then I'm on a stretcher and in the back of the ambulance. A policeman asks for my driver's license, and I give it to him. The BP cuff is on my upper arm; the medical "clothespin" is on my finger. Another EMT shows up in the doorway of the ambulance and hands me my glasses (OMG--I can't read without them and I never even realized I was no longer wearing them!), my brand new lunch bag (a gift received the previous evening at a Holiday Party. What an inaugural journey!), and a letter (A Christmas card actually that I thought I had mailed back in November, but must have fallen out of my bag and the force of the crash dislodged it from it's hiding place.)

Looking at it, I thought, "Better late than never."

Earth Postage Stamps--World Poets, #1 in a series

2011-12-21T23:53:00.001-05:00

Honoring the poets of the world and starting with the Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, in the sesquicentennial year of his birth. More to come, not so date dependent.

Close-up of a single stamp.

You GO Girl!

2011-12-20T22:00:00.002-05:00

You BOTH Go!

FEDEX Tale

2011-12-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

I have a holiday soiree tomorrow evening and I finally decided on the final gift last Friday. Knowing that I would be cutting it close, I paid way too much for 1-2 day express shipping. Nothing arrived on Monday. So it HAD to get to my place today.

I came home at about 5 PM to discover no package and a FEDEX slip stuck to my door. In the past I have used this method once and the package was left on my stoop. The message was that no one was home when the driver attempted delivery. If I wanted the package tonight I would have to pick it up myself at a FEDEX facility in DC. Actually located in a dicy area of DC, it would not be available any sooner than 7:30 PM. The facility closes at 8:30 PM, giving me a one hour window.

So, I called FEDEX 1-800 # to complain. I was clearly not happy, but I kept my cool and after making it perfectly clear in a very professional way that it was too late for a re-deliver and If I wanted to have it to take to work in the morning, I would have to drive into DC tonight to get it myself--I caught myself and thanked the man on the phone for listening. I told him that I did appreciate what he was telling me.

I then made dinner: steamed broccoli, haricort vert, red peppers, tossed with stewed tomatoes and italian spices, hard boiled eggs and avocado tossed in a light caesar dressing.

At seven I prepared to leave when I heard a rustling at the front door. As I was reaching to open it, I heard the sound of the truck zooming away, and there was my package! Oh, happy day. Oh good and faithful FEDEX man/woman. I am writing an appreciation letter to FEDEX's corporate headquarters and to the storage facility in DC with enough pertinent information that I hope it gets back to the people responsible. The new Brown?--FEDEX!

Earth Postage Stamps--Peacemaker Series #'s 32 through 34

2011-12-19T21:46:00.001-05:00

My ultimate goal with this series is to issue 100 stamps honoring people from all over the world who have given of themselves to bring a greater peace to all people, creatures...to creation.

Here I give you the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th issue in the series.

Teachers I Have Known

2011-12-18T00:22:00.001-05:00

I'm inaugurating a new series of memoirs dedicated to my "teachers". And I start this set of reflections with a most unlikely candidate in some ways. She was only my teacher for one quarter of my 7th grade year. She taught Home Economics in a rotation that included typing, shop, and ecology! Go figure, right? It was the seventies.

Blanche Stanton was a teacher cut from a mold like most of her contemporaries that now belongs in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. While I went to school in southeastern Michigan, she hailed from southeastern Kentucky. I remember that she was a formidable presence who was often beset upon by the mocking of us kids, yet never took it in stride. She was at war with us, and by God she had no intention of declaring surrender.

In 12 years of public under-graduate education, I was "sent to the office" on one occasion, by one teacher: Mrs. Stanton. My crime? I rolled my eyes at her. No shit!

The infraction occurred on the heels of a diatribe that she performed upon returning from a sick day to discover that someone had placed her electric, plastic bottomed coffee percolator on an electric burner on one of the stoves in her classroom resulting in an absurdist sculpture of sorts, but ending the career of her coffee pot.

All these years later, I wonder if one of the mitigating factors in her outrage was a caffeine deficiency created by the demise of her beloved percolator...

My banishment to the office was a total and utter shock to me. MY GOD, sent to the office...insubordination...was next? Courts Marshall? Execution? I knew that if my dad ever discovered that I had been thusly accused, death would be a blessing.

Sheepishly, I entered the office and took a seat. I didn't say a thing to anybody. I held onto the pass like a spy with the code that could end the war while still in enemy territory. Suddenly the vice-prinicple entered the office and seeing me asked, "What are you doing here?"

I handed him the note from Mrs. Stanton. He read it, and then asked, "What did you do?"

"I rolled my eyes."

"You what?"

What did he mean, 'I what?' I repeated myself, "I rolled my eyes."

He rolled his.

He looked at the clock. He looked at me. He said, "Stay here another 10 minutes and then go back to class."

Like a blast of snow in the face of man on the edge of heat exhaustion, a wave of relief passed over me.

Now, lest you think this is the story of a bad teacher, quite to the contrary, Mrs. Stanton gave me one of the most valuable things I have ever received. She gave me my first introduction to cooking. And I LOVE to cook.

The recipe that got the ball rolling was for an Apple Crumb Coffee Cake. After making it with my lab mates in her kitchen, I proceeded to make and remake it again and again for anyone who would tolerate it, and for any occasion at which it would make any sense at all.

Mrs. Stanton was the best kind of teacher. She was real. She wasn't afraid to be eccentric, odd, or old school. She loved her subject, and when anything got between it and conveying its importance to her students, she wasn't above displaying her passion indiscriminately.

So besides the amazing recipe, she also taught me that teachers are not perfect. They need to be forgiven every now and then--just like their students.

POST WRITING THIS, I DISCOVERED HER OBITUARY:

Blanche Kelley Stanton

STANTON Blanche Kelley Stanton, age 85, passed away on, July 20, 2011, at her home in Peachtree City, Georgia. Blanche was the beloved daughter of Carrie Waters Kelley and Charlie Hoke Kelley. She was born in Pickens County, South Carolina on September 18, 1925. Blanche was an excellent student and served as a member of the National Beta Club in High School. After her high school graduation, she attended Michigan State University where she studied Geography and Home Economics. While serving as Executive Director of the Dairy Council of Stark County Ohio Blanche met her husband, James Stanton. They were married on June 9, 1956 and remained happily married for 51 years until James passed away on June 19, 2007. Mrs. Stanton taught Home Economics and Geography in the Flat Rock Michigan Schools until her retirement in 1985. In her retirement, she enjoyed Cairn Terrier dogs and spending time with her husband. Mrs. Stanton is survived by a brother, James Kelley; nephew, Marty Kelley; nieces, Dalton Blankenship and Gemma Kelley; sister-in-law, Agnes Hazard; nephew, Charlie Hoke Kelley III; niece, Betty Gault; brother-in-law, Donald Stanton; sister-in-law, Jeri Stanton; nephews, Douglas Stanton, Clifford Stanton; niece, Shirley Stanton Grate; brother-in-law, Bill Cobb; nephews, Stephen Cobb, Michael Cobb, Robert Cobb; and niece, Cynthia Cobb Todd. Graveside Service 1:30 p.m. MONDAY, August 1, St. Joseph Cemetery, 6440 South High Street Lockbourne, Ohio, Rev. Dr. William L. Snider, Officiating. Arrangements entrusted to the JOHN QUINT TREBONI FUNERAL HOME and CREMATION SERVICE, 1177 W. 5th Avenue.

Random Quote 137

2011-12-17T19:13:00.000-05:00

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

~ Albert Einstein, 1879 - 1955

Saturday Funny

2011-12-17T14:38:00.002-05:00

pride Birthdays and Memorials for the Coming Week ~ December 18th to 24th!

2011-12-17T10:16:00.002-05:00

Bonsai Tree Stamps in 2012!

2011-12-15T23:09:00.000-05:00

More stamps to be issued by the USPS in 2012. My only complaint, why not photographs? I think this series would have been better represented in photos.

Hoover Dam Postcard

2011-12-15T23:06:00.002-05:00

From friends temping in Las Vegas! Love it.

2012 Lego Minifigures Revealed!

2011-12-15T21:38:00.003-05:00

Series 6 out in January

Series 7 out in July

PersonS of the Year!

2011-12-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

No Brainer!

Dinner Salad!

2011-12-13T21:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, even on a cold night, a Fabulous Salad is the perfect anecdote!

1) A wreath of crudely ripped organic Romaine Lettuce and drizzle with Ken's Lite Caesar dressing.
2) Arrange pointing outward from the center a ring of the following in this order: A) French Green Beans (blanched 4 min.), B) Asparagus spears (blanched 1 min.), and C) Avocado wedges.
3) Top with two hard boiled Eggs divided longways into sixths.
4) Drizzle center of salad with more Ken's Lite Caesar dressing.
5) Finish with fresh ground Black Pepper!

Devour, politely!

What I'm Reading #38

2011-12-12T23:56:00.001-05:00

I just read the young reader's edition of Li Cunxin's "Moa's Last Dancer". This is an amazing and courageous story told by a common man who became extraordinary via a combination of circumstances, luck, and effort.

Everyone who loves a teenager who feels like they are different. A teenager who will most likely face a future of difficult choices and hard work. A teenager who hold within themselves a passion, even and especially if it has yet to be discovered. This is the book, that they need to read--that YOU need to read with them together. The opportunities to discuss ideas, the revelations and triumphs achieved through love and sacrifice all teach such powerful life lessons. I love this one, through and through.

Reading books together is powerful. Parents need to read to their children and then WITH them. WITH THEM--get it? The journey of discovery is never more powerful as when it is shared.

Earth Postage Stamps: Amazing Species Series #5

2011-12-12T21:29:00.000-05:00

13 views of Washington, DC, A Nocturne

2011-12-11T12:10:00.000-05:00

Statuary in front of the Theological Collage @ Catholic University - 3:28 AM

Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips on Florida Avenue - 3:37 AM

Ace Cash (Open!) U Street & 16th - 3:44 AM

Connecticut Avenue, NW, DuPont neighborhood - 3:45 AM

DuPont Circle fountain - 3:56 AM

Water main break @ L Street & 25th from Pennsylvania Ave NW - 4:04 AM

Christmas tree @ Pennsylvania Ave & M Street, Georgetown - 4:06 AM

Georgetown, M Street NW - 4:08 AM

Georgetown II, group of young men speed walking across Wisconsin Avenue NW - 4:17 AM

Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin - 4:30 AM

Museum of the American Indian - 4:37 AM

The U.S. Capitol - 4:44 AM

Union Station - 4:49 AM

Earthquake: Mexico

2011-12-11T02:33:00.000-05:00

How many hours ago did I post the observation that seismic activity was at a very love ebb collectively for the past week? It isn't so good when the earth slows down. It only allows for the building up of pressure in the tectonic plates.

Oraciones para los gente de Mexico...